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Arrest Of Prof. Masaki Shimoji In Japan Who Was Involved In Fukushima Campaign

Demand for the release of Associate Prof. Masaki Shimoji

15 Dec. 2012

On Sunday morning of 9 December 2012, the Osaka prefectural police arrested and charged Masaki Shimoji, Associate Professor of Economy at Hannan University, for three alleged offences, violation of the ‘railway services act’; forcible obstruction of business; and unlawfull trespass.

We believe arrest of Shimoji is unlawful and he should be released immediately. We fear that this is a crude attempt to intimidate those citizens opposed to the nationwide spread of radioactive materials.

Shimoji was targeted because he was involved in the campaign to oppose city plans to incinerate imported earthquake debris throughout the nation, including Osaka, where he resides, and believes the plans will contaminate areas unaffected by last year’s nuclear accident in Fukishima.

The plans are proposed to commence in February 2013. After receiving and incinerating the earthquake debris from the north of Japan, local governments will then landfill the ashes. The central Japanese government
has pushed the program to ‘share the burden by all’ and has asked local governments throughout the nation to accept debris from earthquake zones.

The alleged offences took place on 17 October 2012, nearly two months before the Shimoji’s arrest. On that day at around 3pm, people including Shimoji, gathered on the footpath on the north-eastern corner of the Osaka railway station. In twos and threes, they then headed towards the city office to lodge their opposition to the city’s plan. They walked through the eastern corridor inside the station, from north to south, which is the apparent cause of the offences.

Besides the flimsy nature of the charges, the fact that Shimoji was arrested almost two months after the alleged offence of ‘walking through the station premises’ took place is very unusual. We can only conclude that this is
nothing but a crude attempt to silence us, suppress civil liberties and curb our democratic rights.

Since the earthquake and subsequent nuclear plant disasters on 11 March 2011, Shimoji and others have tirelessly cared for those ‘refugees’, most of them mothers with small children, who fled from the eastern parts of Japan, including Fukushima and other devastated areas, to the western parts of the country.

They have also campaigned vigorously to oppose the nationwide spread of radioactive contamination. The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has damaged the health and welfare of numerous people, both physically and psychological. It has destroyed the livelihoods of many. The national government who promoted the nuclear power recklessly for decades must take now responsibility. The manufacturers of the reactors and power utilities who have failed to implement adequate safety measures should be blamed for their negligence.

Yet, while their crimes for causing such devastation are still left unaccounted for, people who are trying to minimise the damage are being handed criminal charges. This should not be allowed. In Osaka alone, five citizens have been arrested, detained and charged because they expressed their opposition to the city plan to spread the radioactive contamination.

We strongly denounce such arbitrary use of the law. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of those unfairly detained and an apology.